Aethue william savage



(No Model.) 7

A. W. SAVAGE.

MAGAZINE FIRE ARM.

Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR WILLIAM SAVAGE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO MARCELLUS' HARTLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

MAGAZINE FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,525, dated February 28', 1888.

Application filed November 11, 1887. Serial No. 254,938. (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern:

, in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of arms in which a breech-block pivoted at its rear end in the frame or receiver swings downward and backward to open the breech, commonly known as the Martini-Henry system. It is an improvement upon the arm patented to me by Lettels Patent of the United States numbered 366,512 and dated July 12, 1887; and its object is to simplify and cheapen the construction.

' In my former invention the breech-block was made in two parts, both swinging on the same pivot, with a passage between them for conducting the cartridges from the magazine in the rear stock to the chamber. In the present invention the breech-block is made in a single piece with a longitudinal opening through it, which forms a continuation of the magazinetube and serves to conduct the cartridges to the chamber, as in the former case.

I In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is an elevation of an arm loaded and in condition for firing,with side plate removed. Fig. 2 is a'section with the parts in position for charging the magazine, and Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the breech-block.

A designates the breech-block, which, as above indicated, is made in one piece, as usual in single-loaders of this class, and is pivoted in the frame at the rear end, to swing in a vertical plane to open and close the breech; The magazine is located in the rear stock, and is provided with the feeding-spring and with the holding-bar, as described in my former patent referred to.

The breech-block Ahas a longitudinal open ing, a, through it, which forms a continuation of the magazine'tube, and through-which the magazine is charged and the cartridges conveyed to the chamber. Below the opening a is the hammer-bolt a, which is cocked through the operation of a dog, a, in the shape of a crank-lever, one arm of which passes through the rear end of the hammer-bolt and the other arm of which is engaged by the trigger to hold the parts in cocked position. The dog a is hungon the same pivot or bolt with the operating-lever G, by which it is turned when the latter is thrown down to open the breech, all as fully explained in my former patent referred to.

In order to provide 'for the opening or passage a, the breech-block is made deeper than in single-loaders, and the resisting-face is at the lower front corner, or diagonally opposite the pivotpin a upon which the breech-block,- swings. Thus when the breech is closed the forward part of the breech-block stands considerably higher than in ordinary cases, and the frame is'also made somewhat higher than usual, so as to prevent the breech-block from projecting too much above the same.

In the side of the breech-block is a recess, a, in which is pivoted a detent, a a lateral arm of which projects through an opening into the passage a and engages the fiangescof the cartridgesas they are successively fed forward. During the closing movement of the breechblock the forward end of the detent a is engaged by a shoulder on the rear faceof the extra'ctorb, by which the detent is rocked on its pivot and its lateral arm disengaged from the flange of the front cartridge, and the whole column is then free to be fed forward. a is a spring by which the detent is held in engagement with the cartridges till released by the extractor.

The extractor b has along rearwardlyextending arm which is struck by the breechblock when the latter is thrown down to open the breech, whereby a strong leverage is ex erted to start the spent shell from the chamber;;' On the opposite side of the arm is an ejector, b, which is pivoted lower in the frame than the extractor, and whose rearward-projecti ng arm is shorter than that of the extractor. After the extractor has been turned to start 'theshell the continued movement of the breech.- block causes the latter to strike the short arm of the ejector, whereby a quick impulse is given to the shell to throw the same entirely forward,the arms a bear against the rear walls:

of the recesses 11. and exertaleverage by which the breech-block is thrown down, while the return movement of the lever causes the arms to bear against the front walls of the recesses,

whereby the breech-block is raised. When the breech is fully closed, the arms 0 pass under shoulders of at the sides of the breechblock and lock the latter in closed position.'

I The upper walls of the recesses a are curved, as shown, the curves forming arcs of a circle whose radius is equal to the length of the arms c of lever O, and whose center coincides with the axis of the lever when the breech-block is in position to bring the front end of the passage a into coincidence with the breech-chamher. At the rear upper corners of the recesses a are small auxiliary recesses a, which permit the breechblock to fall to the position for charging the magazine, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and for operating the ejector to throw out thespent shell. When in this position, the initial movement of the lever O toclose the breech raises the breech-block far enough to bring the front end of the passage 0. into line with the chamber. Then the breech-block remains stationary till the arms 0 strike the front walls of the recesses of, when it is further raised to fullyclose the breech.

The magazine is charged through an openingat i in the bottom of the frame and through the breech-block, as represented in Fig. 2. A shoulder in the frame catches the first cartridge and'holds it in the position indicated at i. When the next cartridge is inserted, the

first is pushed back into the opening in thebreech-block until its flange is caught by the detent a, when the second will be caught and held in the position shown at i, and so on till the magazine is filled, the last cartridge being pressed back with the finger till its flange is caught by the detent.

The magazine being charged, the operation of the arm is as follows: When the operatinglever O is thrown forward, the holding-bar d,

the teeth of which project into the magazine,

is allowed to drop away from the latter and release the cartridges, as fully explained in my former patent. Then the arms a press against the rear walls of the recesses a, by which the breech-block is drawn down and the breech opened." At the same time the dog a is turned on its pivot with the lever till its rear arm is engaged by the trigger. As the leased, so

with the detent,'when breech-block approaches the limit of its downward movement, it first strikes the arm of the extractor b and starts the shell, if there be one' in the chamber, and then immediately strikes the arm of the ejector b, by which the started shell is thrown entirely out of the arm. The return movement of the lever first raises the breech-block till the front end of the passage a coincides with the cartridge-chamber, which is the loading position. Just before this position is reached the detent a, is tripped and the cartridge within the breech-block revthat it may move forward as soon as the loading position is reached. At this point the breech-block remains stationary,

while the arms a move forward along or in contact with the upper curved walls of the recesses a and until they strike the front walls to fully close the breech, as already explained. This interrupted movement of the breech-block gives ample time chamber, and'avoids all liability 'of its being caught by the rapid movements of parts during the earlier part of the movement of the breech'block. The front end of the detent a is engaged by; a shoulder on the rear face of the extractor, whereby it is rocked to release the cartridge held by its lateral arm. The continued movement of the block causes its front end to press the extractor out of engagement the latter is thrown back by its spring a. The first cartridge having now passed the detent,- it is ready to be inserted into the chamber, and this is accomplished as soon as the opening a in the breech-block is brought into line into holding position for the cartridge to enter the with the chamber, the cartridge and those behind it being pressed forward by the feeding: spring in the usual manner. After the loading is effected the breech-block continues its closing movement till the arms a pass under the shoulders a, when the arm is in condition I for firing.

A gun with a breech-block having a passage leading through the rear end to a groove or channel on top 'of the forward part, requiring special devices to guide the cartridges from the magazine to the cartridge-chamber, is not of my invention and is not herein claimed; but What I do claim is- .1. In a fire-arm, a block constituting a combined cartridge-conduit and breech-block made in one piece, pivoted at its rear end to swing downward in opening and upward in .olosing the breech of the barrel, said block having a passage entirely through it, to form a closed conduit from the magazine behind to the cartridge-chamber in the barrelin front of said block, substantially as described.

2. A block constitutinga combined cartridge-conduit and breech-Block made in one a breech of the barrel, said block having a passage entirely through it to form a closed com ouit from themagazinebehind to the cartridgechamber in the barrel in front of said biock,in combination with an operating-lever arranged 1 beneath the breech mechanism, substantially as described.

3. Acombined cartridge-conduit and breechblock made in one piece, pivoted at its rear upper corner and swinging in a vertical plane to open and close the breech of the barrel,said block having a passage entirely through it to form a closed conduit from behind to the cartridge-chamber in front and carrying the firing mechanism, in combination with a magazine in the stock of the gun behind the block, and a lever for operating the breech-block arranged beneath the breech mechanism, sub- 7 stantially as described.

4. Acombined cartridge-conduitand breechbl'ock'made in one piece, pivoted at its rear upper corner, having a passage entirely through it carrying the firing mechanism for igniting the charge, and a detent for normally arresting the cartridges in their forward movement.

operating-lever beneath the breech mechanism.

5. In a magazine fire-arm, the combination, with the chamber and with the magazine in the rear stock,of aswinging breech-blockhaving a passage through it which forms a continuation of the magazine, and one or more side recesses, a and an operating-lever provided with one or more arms, a, which work in said recess or recesses to operate the breech-block, the top walls of the recesses a being arcs of a circle concentric with the axis of the lever when the parts are in the loading p0sition,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, ARTHUR WILLIAM SAVAGE. Witnesses:

EDWARD KENT, J r. 0. SEDGWICK, 

